IRELAND, Norway and Spain said today that they will recognise a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its total destruction of Gaza.

Israel immediately denounced the decisions and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries.

Palestinians welcomed the announcements as an affirmation of their decades-long quest for statehood in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel seized in the 1967 war and still illegally controls.

While some 140 countries — more than two-thirds of the United Nations — recognise a Palestinian state, today’s cascade of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.

It was the second blow to Israel’s international reputation this week after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister, and for three Hamas leaders.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is also considering allegations of genocide that Israel has strenuously denied.

Israel recalled its ambassadors to the three countries and summoned their envoys, accusing the Europeans of rewarding the militant Hamas group for its October 7 terrorist attack.

Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

“History will remember that Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.

In response to the announcements in Europe, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir paid a provocative visit today to the al-Aqsa mosque compound, a flashpoint in Jerusalem that is sacred to Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The move that could escalate tensions across the region.

“We will not even allow a statement about a Palestinian state,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu’s government opposes Palestinian statehood and says the conflict can only be resolved through direct negotiations, which last collapsed over 15 years ago.

The international community has long viewed the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict and in past weeks several European Union countries have indicated they plan to recognise a Palestinian state to further those efforts.

In contrast, the United States and Britain, among others, have backed the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel but say it should come as part of a negotiated settlement.

The formal recognition by Norway, Spain and Ireland — which all have a record of friendly ties with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, while long advocating for a Palestinian state — is planned for May 28.

Their announcements came in swift succession. Norway, which helped broker the Oslo accords that kicked off the peace process in the 1990s, was the first to announce its decision, with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store saying: “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”

The country plans to upgrade its representative office in the West Bank to an embassy.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called it an “historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine,” saying the announcements had been co-ordinated and that other countries might join.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who announced his country’s decision before parliament, has spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for recognition and a ceasefire in Gaza.

“This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” Mr Sanchez said. “It is an act in favour of peace, justice and moral consistency.”

President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, welcomed the decisions and called on other nations to “recognise our legitimate rights and support the struggle of our people for liberation and independence.”

The announcements are unlikely to have any impact on the war in Gaza or the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.